﻿Vol. 6 1.] spoeangitjm-like organs op glossopteris. 327 



Newcastle Series of New South Wales, and belongs to the Clarke 

 Collection presented to the Museum in November 1844. — This spe- 

 cimen is especially interesting, for M'Coy, 1 in 1847, first ascertained 

 from it the existence of the scale-fronds of GlossojJteris. Several 

 good examples of the scale-leaves are shown, some of which measure 

 from 1*5 to 2 centimetres or more in length. Near one of them, 

 a group of detached sporangium -like bodies occurs, similar to those 

 seen in the preceding specimens, but not quite so well preserved. 



No. 104 is a specimen recently acquired by the Sedg- 

 wick Museum, from Adamstown (New South Wales). — 

 The rock is largely composed of felted masses of the fronds of 

 Glossopteris, with an occasional scale-frond. Near one of the 

 scale-fronds, a few, rather indistinct impressions of these sporan- 

 gium-like bodies may be seen. 



No. 446, in the Bunbury Collection, in the Botany 

 School, Cambridge, was obtained from the Hunter River at 

 Newcastle (New South Wales). — A portion of this specimen has 

 recently been figured by Mr. Seward, 2 to whom I am indebted for 

 an opportunity of examining the material in the Bunbury Col- 

 lection. The rock consists of a pinkish shale, in many respects 

 similar to the specimens in the British-Museum Collection, and, 

 like those specimens, was originally acquired through the Geological 

 Survey about the year 1859. In addition to the scale-fronds figured 

 by Mr. Seward, other and less perfect examples occur ; and, in one 

 case, where a portion of the highly-convex scale-frond has been 

 broken away, a group of these sporangium-like bodies is exposed, 

 lying beneath the scale-leaf. One of these sacs shows the neck-like 

 extremity very clearly. A few other groups can be made out, but 

 they are not distinct, nor is the preservation very good. 



III. The Morphology of the Sporangium-like Organs. 



Prom a study of the groups of detached sporangium-like bodies 

 occurring on the specimens above described, the following points 

 in their morphology can be determined. They are somewhat 

 elliptical in shape, tapering at either extremity (PI. XXX, figs. 1-3 

 & PI. XXXI, figs. 2-4). They measure from 1-2 to 1-5 millimetres 

 along the major axis, and their greatest breadth varies from '6 

 to *8 mm. The shape of these bodies naturally differs somewhat, 

 according to the particular manner in which they have come to 

 rest upon the clay, and according to the aspect which they present 

 (PI. XXXI, figs. 3 & 4). In some examples, one extremity appears 

 to be bent into a short neck-like prolongation, measuring about 

 •2 mm. in length (PI. XXXI, fig. 3 at a, & PI. XXX, fig. 3 at x\ 

 and thus the whole body resembles somewhat a retort in shape. 

 In others, the neck is flattened on the main portion of the body, 



1 M'Coy (47) p. 151 ; Arber (02) p. 9. 



2 Seward (97 1 ) p. 318 & pi. xxiii, fig. t. 



